Report: Bears 'Prioritizing' Trade For Seahawks QB Russell Wilson
Up to this point, the Seahawks haven't shown any inclination they are interested in trading Russell Wilson. But if the growing divide between the star quarterback and the franchise reaches a point of no return, one team has emerged as a highly interested suitor.
According to Brad Briggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears have "prioritized" pursuing Wilson as part of their offseason plan to upgrade the quarterback position. Currently, the team only has veteran Nick Foles under contract and former first-round pick Mitch Trubisky will become an unrestricted free agent later this month.
Last week, Wilson's agent Mark Rodgers told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Wilson had not yet demanded a trade. But he also revealed four teams that the seven-time Pro Bowler would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to play for, including Chicago as a potential destination if the team decides to eventually move him. Among the other teams listed, Wilson would apparently be on board with playing in Dallas, New Orleans, or Las Vegas.
Out of those four franchises, the Bears might be the best equipped - and are certainly the most desperate - when it comes to making an aggressive run at Wilson. After going 16-16 the past two seasons, coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace know their jobs are on the line heading into 2021, which could mean they are willing to unload a bunch of high draft picks and young players as a package to acquire the star signal caller.
As for the other teams on Wilson's "wish list," the Cowboys are expected to re-sign or use the franchise tag to keep Dak Prescott, while the Saints are in salary cap hell and over $60 million above the cap. As for the Raiders, reports suggest Derek Carr has full support from the organization and they don't plan to replace him. Trying to work a trade with any of those three teams seems unlikely, if not improbable.
There are plenty of obstacles that could make Chicago's chances of landing Wilson slim as well, regardless of how motivated they are to swing a deal.
For one, the Bears don't have a viable quarterback to offer in return, and considering the Seahawks have a roster in place to contend, they won't want to be starting from scratch at the position. Even if they were okay with doing that, the Bears don't pick until 20th overall in April's draft, eliminating the possibility the Seahawks could land one of the top quarterback prospects in this year's draft class.
Secondly, the Seahawks actually have to want to move Wilson, and even with reports indicating they have been both fielding and making calls on his availability, they aren't shopping him at this time. Plus, trading him before June 1 would incur a $39 million dead cap charge and while that doesn't completely rule out the chances of a trade happening, it's a monumental hurdle.
If Seattle decided to open up negotiations, general manager John Schneider would likely start with three first round picks as a baseline. Chicago could offer star defensive end Khalil Mack as part of the package, though his inflated salary cap number likely wouldn't fit into the equation. Recent draft picks such as running back David Montgomery, tight end Cole Kmet, and cornerback Jaylon Johnson could also be thrown into the deal to sweeten the pot.
But once again, the big question comes back to how the Seahawks would get their replacement for Wilson. They could turn around and deal some of the draft picks they received from the Bears to another team for a quarterback. Heck, maybe a creative mind like Schneider could get the Texans to at least take a call for Deshaun Watson or become involved in a three-team trade.
Ultimately, Wilson's current contract and his massive dead cap hit make the chances of a deal coming together remote at best. Though it's possible this situation could escalate to the point where the Seahawks are willing to listen to offers from teams such as the Bears down the road, the franchise will exhaust all possibilities to appease the quarterback and build around him first.
